Would you purchase imported “organic foods” from China? it’s been reported that the U.S., particularly a big organic farm produce retailers like Whole Foods, and they are selling so-called “organic vegetables and fruits” from countries like China and Turkey. This has become the norm since the demand for organic products has increased in countries just like the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
According to a 2017 report in Food Safety News, up to 80% of organic food eaten within the U.S. are imported from China and Turkey, two of the countries becoming popular for growing and exporting organic produce to countries just like the United States of America.
But is it true that China has been growing organic produce consistent with the world’s standards? Please allow us to explore now further with variety of arguments.
ORGANIC PRODUCTS FROM CHINA CAN CONTAIN a vast AMOUNT OF HEAVY METALS
Even though there are certain rules about declaring produce as “certified organic”, which suggests no presence of herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals and other dangerous toxins the matter here is that there are not any rules or there’s a scarcity of rules regarding pollution and other environmental factors in China.
For instance, a Chinese farmer can use the “organic label” but the water he uses to water his plants could be filled with harmful chemicals and pollutants. Currently, there’s a scarcity of traceability in growing and raising crops in China compared to the U.S.’s organic farm systems and the way organic produce is grown there.
CHINA LACKS IN ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
It has big lack of regulation in Beijing-based government in China. They begin to implement strong regulation immediately, when everything around them has caused rampant air and pollution during the country. Studies have shown that a minimum of 40% of rivers are polluted also as 90% of groundwater. Another report states that 1/5 of the country’s farmland is polluted.
The severity has even led to an eyeglass retailer executive to challenged local environmental protection head to swim during a river for 20 minutes for US$26,348. The environmental chief declined. This is often an equivalent water they use to water their organic product. It’s almost impossible to understand who to trust.
GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES IN CHINA aren’t OPERATING PROPERLY
One consumer, reported by the Guangzhou Daily, tried to tell the government for the fake organic produce. He was bounced between four different government departments – only to seek out that they had no authority whatsoever to affect the matter.
There also are reports that tons of Chinese organic food growers were supposedly just “buying organic certification” but actually weren’t following regulations. Within the meantime, reports are available that the U.S. is supposedly tracking imports of “organic” produce from China.
HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS FROM CHINA ARE OFTEN CONTAMINATED WITH LEAD
Herbs normally have detoxifying attributes and thus , absorb tons of heavy metals easily. Tests show that chlorella from China was contaminated with aluminum, also as arsenic, cadmium, and lead – metals that are highly toxic.
Lately, consistent with Greenpeace, reports of tea companies from China using illegally banned chemicals are also noted. This is often possible, because, there’s no trusted organic food certification in China.
CHINA’S SUPPLIERS HAVE FORGED ORGANIC CERTIFICATION LABELS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
These rumors of forging organic food certification documents are heard for years. Then in 2011, the us Department of Agriculture (USDA) released evidence of faux organic certificates made by a non-certified Chinese company. This involved non-organic soy, millet, and buckwheat happened as “organic.”
Tony Guo, a sales director of City Shop, a Shanghai grocery chain said: “Not many of us , including myself, believe the organic label. I feel maybe 30 percent of farms that put the organic label on their food not produce the right thing.”
THIRD PARTY AGENCIES ARE those CERTIFYING ORGANIC PRODUCTS FROM CHINA.
The agency certifying all the organic produce generated in China is that the Chinese Organic Certification Center (COFCC). However, it’s been reported that they only inspect 30% of the produce; the remainder are inspected by private 3rd-party firms.
Even though all organic produce imported by the US are certified by a USDA certifying agent, the USDA relies on hiring 3rd party certifying agents in China. Lapses can happen within the certifying process especially when regulations on organic produce are either non-existent or lax in implementation in China.
So what are your opinions regarding importing and consuming the “organic produce of China”? Should we trust the system in situ and permit our families to eat China’s organic produce?
